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Trial of Nature
Prologue Throughout the decades, this island has earned many epithets that have brought plenty who have navigated across the seas in search of all they desire. The Island of Dreams, The Island of the Defeated, The Island of Rebirth, are all aliases the country has earned as a result of many tales. As a nation that is located near , it serves as a for those who have had their dreams crushed prior or early on in the . Comparable to , the island blossomed with beautiful lights, sky scrappers, and artistic flare. While different than its two , it is a nation ran by pirates; with no government body present, they are able to host and participate in events with little to no expense. Despite the cold dark night, the city was vibrant and was yearning for action. The pseudo-monarch was hosting a gran-joust. The winner of the event is granted any wish of their desire, or at least as it said in the advertisements and invitations. While this events was open to anyone who wished to participate, some pirates were hand selected by the king himself to participate. Pirates and criminals from across the globe began to arrive and make their way to the coliseum. As a rather luxurious and large Galleon-class ship docks into the harbor the few scattered people about couldn't help but stare in equally Awe and fear as a Large muscular giant wearing nothing but a waist cloth along with arm and leg shackles steps onto the deck before jumping down from the ship creating a large crack in the stone below his feet as numerous other individuals all dressed in rather fancy black outfits and whit mask varying in designs pour out of the ship before standing in a straight line on each sides of the door creating a path as a rather tall and slim yet curvaceous, exotically beautiful Woman with luscious ruby red hair and striking golden eyes, with dark, wide stilted pupils, steps out before sweeping her gaze across the beautiful Island. Breathing in the crisp fresh air around her the a smile made it's way upon her lips. "It Really is as beautiful as they say it is" mutterd the woman in a melodious voice which captivated all who heard it before she walks forward and steps into the out reaches hand of the Gigantic man as he sets her on his shoulder before the rest of the masked individuals surround them as they begin to make their way towards their destination. ---- Dominic let out a sigh of relief, stretching his back as he finally arrived on the island. Dominic smirked as he looked down at the countless people. He was excited, he would get his wish granted by the monarch. A place where he could live a life of adventure, become a military commander. At his height, there were few near it. And less larger. Then, he noticed a female giant, seductive eyes, luxurious hair, and beautiful at the same time. Dominic smiled, and began to make his way to the Coliseum. ---- A rush of wind pushed through the harbor of an otherwise calm port as several ships, both large and small docked into the haven of Pirates, the Land of Ever-Fests, the Island of God. Among the several ships that lined up at the ports was a rather small one with out of shaped architecture. God alone knew how it had managed to keep afloat and safe the two men travelling on it, for hours let alone days on the crazy seas. "Taiga-sama ! I don't know what you wish to achieve with grand Fest ! But if it helps you. I will fulfill it even at the cost of my life." One of them,black haired young man, probably around the thirties spoke with another, a Feline Mink with grandeur purple fur. "Hmpf, Ryū-san, no need of such formalities. I need your life ! It is of much use to me." Taiga laughingly replied, as the reached the harbor. The Man, got up from his position has he made his way towards the dock, creating a wooden platform as footing from the boat to the land. Both of them, reached their destination. "Well you are free to roam around !", Taiga spoke, "I have urgent things to handle now. Contact me if you need anything"he told, as he handed over to the man a Den Den Mushi. As Ryū accepted the Transponder Snail, he walked into the hearts of the city admiring the landscape, walking towards the address mentioned in the card handed over to him by the Cat Mink. Taiga, however, hurried to his favorite bar, ordering his favorite drink. ---- As ships both small and large docked at the island, one particularly sad looking ship docked at the port. "Alright, lower the slaves! His highness will definitely want something from this batch," said the captain of the slave ship as he ordered his men to lower the slaves. The majority of the slaves began being mobilized, but there was one pale, spiky-haired man who was still sleeping. "Wake up, maggot!" yelled a slaver. The man didn't budge. "I said wake up!" the repeated himself, but this time attempted to bash the slave with a club. The club shattered on his head. "What!?" exclaimed the slaver in disbelief. "What's with all the noise? Are we there yet?" asked the slave who had just woken up. After looking around at all the moving slaves and slavers he said: "So I guess we are." "Get up already," said the slaver once more in a very agitated tone. After analyzing the very shoddy chains that were used to tie him down the slave broke from his shackles and stood tall in front of the slaver. "Where's my sword?" asked the man in an intimidating tone. After no response from the slaver. The man broke the slaver's neck. "Here we go again..." A few dead slavers later the previously shackled man stood on the deck of the ship with a sword that was about the size of his huge body. He looked down at a paper he had kept in his pocket, then looked up at the landscape before him. "I guess this is the place," he said as he walked toward a large coliseum. The remaining slavers who were still in shock muttered: "To think we had the famous assassin Spike aboard our ship this whole time..." ---- From within a crowd just outside the coliseum, a man, or rather, a Monkey Mink in shining armor would make his way through the crowd. He'd use any means possible in order to get through, whether it be knocking some people out with his bare hands or climb on top of them as if they were a fence in his way. This Mink was eager to be apart of the event, finally able to show society that he isn't just a pushover. Not only that, he had heard rumors that the rewards are very... cool. Kagetora seemingly disappeared into ashes, the ashes traveling to the gates, ahead of everyone and his body reappearing there, entering. ---- Among the large ships that arrived at the island, a small boat made its way from the great ocean to the docks almost imperceptible. Inside it, a dark-skinned woman, wearing light and revealing clothes, showing most of her voluptuous body, stepped in the hard ground after days of sailing. With her face partially concealed with a veil, she showed no signs of emotion, except the sadness in her green eyes; consequences of her unfortunate past. Amunet read a piece of paper that she carried in her hands, looking over the crowd of people in search of her destination. Before she could find it, she vanished in sand, floating across the streets in small particles until she entered the supposed place, reconstructing her body and hiding herself as she waited for the event to start. ---- Commotion arose from a seller's stand near the dock. Dust and debris filled a small area around the fish stand and people around looked in confusion as to what just happened. "What the hell man, you better pay for this." The fish seller's head could be seen above the cloud of dust and debris, looking down on a person. As the cloud of dust and debris settled the yellow hair of a young man was in view and his agitated facial expression along with it. "Fuck, I should probably practice landing that more." The man stood up, revealing his figure and attire to those at the docks. "Where the hell did you even come from boy?" To any ordinary person the yellow haired young man did indeed come out of seemingly nowhere. In less than the blink of an eye the fish stand was demolished and the fish flew everywhere. However to those with keen eyes or a ability, they would have seen the young man come down from the sky at an immense speed and attempt to stick a landing in front of fish stand however he simply lost his footing. "My bad man, I didn't mean to do that. I was trying to land in front of your stand and.....I'll just pay for it after I win this event thing here on the island. Hold on." The man reached into his pocket to pull out the advertisement he found. "The Trial of Nature thing." The salesman started babbling on however the young man simply zoned him out and started walking away with his head down looking at the piece of paper that had the advertisement. "The coliseum, where the hell is that." Just as he said that, he looked up to see a rather tall man with spiky hair walking towards a large structure. "I guess that's it, I'll just follow this big ass dude then." The young man folded the piece of paper before walking slowly along the same path of the spiky haired man that caught his eye. Demonstration As competitors from across the grand-line and the rest of globe emerged on Tenshi Island, the tournament was just about ready to begin. Investors and spectators took their seats in the coliseum waiting patiently for the event to start. The island that never sleeps had suddenly gone quiet as the ruler and commentator of the event took the stage. "Are you ready to rumbleeee!!!" he exclaimed, speaking into a transponder snail that connected to various audio devices throughout the entire island. The fans cheered and roared. "Tonight is a test of might and courage. Combatants from everywhere have all come here with the hopes of attaining everything they desire. So without any further delay, let's get this show started!" Once again the crowd erupted with screams and cries, prepared to view the spectacle. "Bracket One, Can all competitors from bracket one, take the stage immediately." On queue, fighters took the stages and were encourage by thousands. Eager to fight, the monkey king climbed over the competitors and reached the stage first, already preparing himself for a good showcase of his abilities. "Kek, so which one of you want to lose first?" Kagetora held his cudgel out, aiming it at a group of warriors and waited for one to come at him, if they're brave enough that is. He'd place his cudgel right under his right arm, getting into his battle stance, which is just himself balancing on the cudgel. The stadium filled with little over sixty different competitors. Ranging from swordsmen to marksmen, each combatant possessed a unique skill they were confident would win them the match. As the monkey hurdled over his opponents to reach the stage first, he would unknowingly make more enemies along the way. Voices mumbled among the crowd to target the mink first. While not everyone would follow the strategy, about two thirds of the pack agreed to target Kagetora the moment the match began. "Let the games begin!" the King chanted, ringing a large bell that echoed throughout the coliseum. At that moment, massive chants and battle cries were ignited and warriors rushed towards the mink with their various weapons. Confident swordsmen and martial artists took the lead planning on finishing their target in a single blow. "Die you ape!" "I'll show you!" and "Victory is mine!" is among the comments that were made as the competitors drew near. Kagetora let out a mischievous grin as most of his opponents joined forces and targeted him. He'd take his cudgel, spinning and swinging it around to counter with blades swung at him and as well as striking them in one of the four places: head, shoulders, knees and toes. "Ape, you say? I'm no ape! But it doesn't matter," Kage hopped over one warrior who came charging in, taking his cudgel and slammed it down on the man with great force, "I'll be kick your asses anyway!" The group of warriors thought they had Kagetora cornered when they surrounded him as they all came in from multiple directions. Right when their weapons was making contact with Kagetora, or so they thought, their blades would go straight through his body as it turns into a cloud of ashes. "Kekekek, sike!" The ashes started spreading and some got into the competitors' eyes, temporarily blinding them as Kagetora reassembled his body, taking them out one by one with his cudgel. Various competitors were overwhelmed by Kagetora's attacks. Flying off the stage, referees began declaring these losers out of bounds. Suddenly the assault began to cease. Those who had yet to venture to the New World saw their defeat inevitable as they had no way of piercing such a defense. "Dammit! I should have known there would be logia users here." a woman competitor yelled, saddened by the fact she did know how to utilize her haki. Towards the edge of the arena, a man in a black cloak giggled at the complaints of his fellow competitors. "Another arrogant logia guy eh, seems Ima have to put him in his place." he thought, withdrawing his sniper rifle. Targeting the mink's head, he smirked. "Monkey see, monkey do." he then quickly pulled the trigger. His bullets were made of sea stone; ammunition he acquired when he invaded a navy base. He was confident the man would simply attempt to revert back to his intangible state, which would be a huge mistake. Upon hearing the sound of a gunshot and turning to the direction in which the sound came from, Kagetora began spinning his cudgel at an insane speed, to the point that the wind started picking up, creating a miniature tornado that changed the course of the bullets. The tornado would also cause the sniper to be blown back, if not, skid back a few and lose balance. Kagetora's arm then turned to ashes, spreading throughout the stage like a wildfire, the ashes seemingly increasing the temperature in the whole coliseum. With a temperature that high, surely the remaining competitors, as well as the audience and the announcer would be sweating like it's hell, feeling fatigued by the heat. However, Kagetora wasn't affected by this and quickly zoomed around the stage with only below of his waist turned into ashes, using this opportunity to take out all that is left. After Kagetora's fearsome attack only few remained. It was clear he was the undeniable threat, thus everyone focused their attention towards him. The remaining competitors remained cautious. Some tried to communicate with one another, the others watched carefully at Kagetora. The stage meant an awkward silence as the competitors were at a standstill waiting for their target to make a move. "It seem all eyes are on Kagetora!" the king announced, trying to end the silence. "Seems like I'm in the center of attention, kek." After taking a good look around himself, Kagetora took a huge leap into the air, and came crashing down with his cudgel swung with full power, making the stage shake. This would throw everyone off balance and Kagetora would turn complete to ashes, reassembling his body near a group of warriors. He'd use his ability to channel electricity as a mink to channel it into his cudgel, swinging it at his opponents, immobilizing them and knock them offstage at the same time. Taking another huge leap, he'd land on the side where the remaining competitors were, causing the same off-balance effect. "Let's combine it all, shall we, kek?" Part of his body turned into ashes as he started spinning his cudgel that was channeled with electricity, the cudgel creating the same mini tornado that caused the ashes to fly into the competitors' eyes as well as blowing them off while they would receive hits from the cudgel and became paralyzed, unable to make a move. One huge swing and Kagetora would knock everyone off, leaving him the only one left on stage. "And he did it, we have our winner of the first bracket. Kagetora!!" the crowd went crazy despite the unbearable temperatures. The Monkey Mink was the last man standing. Visual display of his face was broadcasted throughout the island. If you weren't watching the tournament before, you are now. One final chant echoed throughout the arena as the mink was directed off the stage. As the maintenance crew reassembled the stage and undid all the damage of the previous match, the King made his next announce. "With our team almost done cleaning up the stage, I would like to ask all Bracket Two Competitors, Bracket Two Competitors, please report to the stage." A crowd of similar proportions to the first began to head to the arena. "I believe it's your turn Lady Marié" Spoke the large barbaric giant as he placed the Red Haired Beauty down. Smiling after Haven watched the previous fight with a look of slight amusement Marié slowly makes her way to the arena which due to her height and beauty drew the attention of numerous stares and looks of awe and lust. As the last person enter a the Arena, Marié without waiting for the announcement of the match swings her right arm forward as it melts away into a large wave of molten Lava that quickly sweeps throughout the arena melting stone and swallowing and engulfing everything in its path including all her unfortunate opponents, all who never stood a chance as the were reduced to nothing melting away under the sea of Lava leaving behind a badly Scorched and melting arena. "Pathetic" Spoke Marié as she walks away from the arena without a single care in the world. "I was hoping at least one of them could entertain me for a bit, sadly that wasn't the case hopefully someone will come along soon enough" She Mumbled as she takes her seat on the Barbaric Giants Shoulder once again looking utterly bored. Before the king could even say go, the Red-Haired psycho eliminated the entire group of opponents. An awkward silence filled the arena as everyone was shocked at what she had done. "Even for a pirate...that was ruthless.." someone mumbled, legitimately scared. Suddenly boo's filled the arena at Marie's actions. Despite this being a pirate majority brawl, there were rules that needed to be followed. "Charlotte Marie is hearby disqualified from the Royale." the king declared, as the team once again attempted to clean the stage. There was a necessary break for the crowd as her actions left many sick to their stomachs. Returning half an hour later, the King announced the next match. "Let's get right to it. Would combatants of the Third Bracket, Bracket Three, would you please make your way to the stage." A significantly smaller pool of competitors made their way to the battlefield. This was probably due to some of the competitors dropping out due to Marie's actions. ---- As the Crowd went to a break after the Second Bracket, Higashi Ryū hurried down the city just in time has he reached the Colosseum. As he hurried down the reception to confirm his invitation. "Ah ! Higashi Ryū, wait a second, before we confirm your bracket." the Receptionist lady responded as she took the invitation from the Ninja's hands. All the while has the receptionist swept through the files, Higashi Ryū kept his eye on the Mini-DendenVision that had constant replays of the wrath of Lava summoned during the previous bracket. "Is that even possible...." his immediate reply shuns the receptionist, who just smiles, "You are in Bracket number 3, please proceed to the waiting room to your left immediately. ''" she intercepts the awestruck Ryū who then proceeds to follow the instructions, his mind still under wraps of what he had seen on the Mini-DenDenVision. Minutes later, Ryū found himself on stage along with the other participants, crowds cheering and participants booing others to play their minds. This is when he realized, despite it not being the start of the actual Bracket Round, the Battle of Wits had already started when he had taken the first steps inside. Ignoring the other sounds, Ryū concentrated only the sound of the bell - which indicated the start of the scene of manslaughter. Seconds later the Bell rang, so did the crowd cheers. Immediately later each and every participant began their demonstrations. Where Ryū should have been, their was a giant Tree, whose branches spread out reshaping the entire battlefield, the sharp edges enhanced with Armament Haki piercing through each and every competitor without prejudice. Among the other competitors that caught the eye of the crowd were two outstanding & the last of the competitors remaining, Logia Users of Fire & Candy. "''Si Si Si Si ~ your wood wont get past my flames of absolute destruction," The Fire logia Man laughed has he proceeded to burn through the Branches and deal a finishing blow to the Candy Man whose Candy erupted through the entire arena. "Your next !" grinned the Fire Man as he searched the arena for the source of the Branches, Higashi Ryu, who quietly appeared in front of him, correcting him, "It is, You're next !", This angered the FireMan, "Who Cares ? I am going to burn down you to death !" he screamed as he went forward the punch Ryū in the face with his fiery hands. "You said your flames are of absolute destruction didn't you ? I'd say destruction yes but absolute no !" Ryū spoke, as he intercepted the punch by summoning two wood planks covered with what looked like candy. "The CandyMan who you killed earlier, his candy when in contact with Wood ! has the a bility to make the Wood fireproof for a limited amount of time. And I can finish you off within that time" Higashi retaliated has he pierced the Fire Mans heart with his Armament Haki imbued Spiky hair, "Life Return: Kami Ayatsuru(かみあやつる;Hair Manipulate)." The attack left the Fire Man on the floor. "Time to announce your judgement! Your Honōr, as you see, I have completed my task and want to be appropriately rewarded." Higashi spoke as he looked at the Kings seat, kneeling down heads lowered as a sign of respect that he was taught during his time has a Ninja. The spectators applauded as they were surprised by the match's outcome. As it unfolded most had their money on the pyro-pirate who was usually held superior to the element of wood, but power is not everything. Ryuu displayed great proficiency with his abilities and because of that, he won the match. After several seconds of unadulterated chanting, the king interrupted them. "What a match, congrats to Higashi Ryū for his great display." One more standing ovation before Ryuu left the stage. "Alright, after such an amazing match, let's get the next one started. Would all participants in Bracket four, bracket four, please make your way to the stage." Bracket 4...that's me. Dominic realized as he rose to his feet. Using his abilities, he shrank down to a smaller height, a height of 6'6". He cracked his knuckles in anticipation as he made his way to the front of the arena, unsheathing his shortsword, resembling a larger dagger of sorts. The only difference was that at the hilt was the tip of a paintbrush, already covered in black ink. Then, he proceeded to sheath it, not wanting to use it. "On this side, we have Daniels D. Dominic!" the announcer began. "And on the other, the rest of the competitors, along with Sparks V. Amanda! Who will win this match? Let's find out!" Amanda shot forward surrounding her fist in Haki. "Haki, eh?" Dominic asked, smirking. He jammed his fists through the ground, a feat possible due to his . He unclenched his fists, lifting his hands back up. He proceeded to lift a chunk of the ground up, and used it to block the attack. The chunk shattered, but the girl was obviously confused. "Incredible! Dominic lifted a piece of our arena ground to block an attack! This has never been seen before!" the announcer announced, obviously impressed. "My turn." Dominic stated, launching himself forward. Amanda immediately got into a defensive position, not that it mattered. Dominic jumped up, aiming a kick at her head when she suddenly pulled out a sword of her own and sliced Dominic's leg in two. The leg flew off elsewhere, while Dominic instaneously fell to the ground. "D-Dominic's leg has been sliced clean off!" the announcer yelled, bewildered. "But...why is Dominic not yelling in pain? Why is there no blood?" To that, Dominic sat up, staring at his leg. "Not a bad strike. Could have been done at a better angle, of course." he stated, taking a scroll out of his jacket. He opened, and his fingertip transformed into paint, much to the audiences, and Amanda's surprise. He speedily painted a leg, and pulled it out, attaching it to his stub. It was a perfect fit. Dominic closed the scroll, placing it away and he stood. The rest of the competitors maintained their distance, obviously confused. "And now, she drowns." Dominic muttered quietly. Then, his severed leg exploded into paint, launching itself as tendrils towards Amanda. They flew into her, via her ears and nostrils, until she exploded. Dominic transformed his arm into a large umbrella, blocking the raining organs and blood. Reverting the transformation, he stared at the rest. "Who's next?" "Bastard!" one yelled. "We'll fucking blow you up!" another exclaimed. Multiple threats left the mouths of the other competitors, but none of them moved. "Are you all afraid to attack me?" Dominic taunted, letting a smirk manifest on his face. The others said nothing, but they charged towards Dominic. Yet Dominic showed no fear. "How will Dominic get his way out of this one?" the announcer exclaimed. The audience was obviously very intrigued in the possiblity that Dominic would die. Dominic simply shook his head as he pulled out a scroll, and opened it. It was a very large scroll, and on it, an entire dragon had been painted on it. Suddenly, the dragon launched out of the scroll, the scroll burning away as it did. It flew into the air, flying down towards the the other competitors, the competitors beginning to run away. However, Dominic knew there was no point. It devoured the multiple competitors, and soon, it had eaten them all. Dominic opened a small scroll, and the dragon flew back into it, and a new painting had been formed. "I'll call it Soulless..", Dominic stated, turning towards the King. "I'm done here. Reward me." Dominic said. Before the King could respond, the entire crowd rose to their feet chanting Dominic's name, praising him for his victory. After a while, they settled down, and the King spoke. "You shall be rewarded. Excellent display." he stated. The crowd again broke into a cheer as Dominic left the stage. "What a match; these brackets have been crazy. And with more than half of the first round complete, let's take a short break." the King exclaimed as people left their seats to go get some snacks. After a fifteen minute break, people returned their seats, anxious to see the following bracket. "Welcome back and without further delay, let's get to it. Would the combatants from Bracket Five, Bracket Five, please report to the stage." Concealing her presence in the shadows for most part of the tournament and analitically watching every fight and competitor, Amunet was more than ready to take the prize; with complete certainty that no one would be able to stand in her way and of her objectives. As she walked to the main stage, her presence wasn't something that someone could take the eyes off; an enormous woman compared to the average human, standing at least 2m tall, with a hot and sexy body, wearing nothing but light clothes that showed more than necessary, just had appeared out of nowhere. She stopped right at the border of the arena, with no concern about the perverted eyes that were hooked by her body, and waited for the fight to start. Without a word, the King banged his bell with his hammer declaring that the match had begun. "Let's get this party started!" he chanted, uplifting the crowd. "Just because you're beautiful doesn't mean you are not a target." a man declared, withdrawing his blade. He appeared to be an experience fight; with scaress throughout his body to prove his decades of combat. He held his blade with great confidence and style. "This tournament is mine, I will be the Greatest Swordsmen in the World!" he chanted, planning on bisecting the woman with a single stroke. The rest of the competitors watched. Some were contemplating assiting the maiden while others were glad to see her go, but none moved. "You sure are a man of balls, pointing this thick and heavy blade against me..." Amunet said. Her voice was soft and carried a submissive and seductive tone that approached the man's ear as the very voice of angels. She started to move in his direction, with her emerald green eyes fixed in his own eyes, slowly walking as she was dancing with the wind. The man was hypnotized; even if he tried his best to look away, he couldn't do nothing, his body was paralyzed. She touched the tip of the blade with her right index finger, countourning the entirety of the sword until she touched the man's chest. She approached her face to his face, taking the veil that hid her mouth with her left hand, approaching her lips to his ear. "But, as any other man that dared to cross my way, you're pathetic." Amunet kissed him in the cheek, turning her back to the man that just stood there. Although at first the silence took the stage, it soon was broken by the sound of a yelp that came from the swordsmen's moth. His body, once healthy, began to crumble, with his skin drying before his entire body turned into dust almost instantly. She didn't care for the other fighters' reaction and just waited as she hid her mouth once again with her veil. "This kiss of death..." one man mumbled to himself, somewhat terrified by the woman's power. It was obvious who the threat was but there was much uncertainty. How she killed the man was still unknown to most; obviously a devil fruit but of which category. The uncertainity made the remaining competitors hesitant. Only one stood tall and walked towards the death maiden. Another woman, around the same height and age walked towards Amunet as spat, "Men are such cowards, if you are using a devil fruit there's nothing haki won't let me overcome." Suddenly her arms were covered in darkness; she was clear a new world veteran. Rushing towards Amunet, she appeared to only have one goal pulverize her. As the men watched, another competitor took advantage of the situation and went about attacking the spectating competitors. At first, Amunet seemed to not pay much attention to the woman; her vision was directed to the ground, as she was adjusting the veil on the back of her head. But, the closer the woman got, she could feel her presence, her aura. Amunet didn't move; the woman's punch reinforced with Haki passed right through her chest, seemingly killing her in the process. The expression on the woman's face was satisfaction; she had just killed one of her opponents and was closer to the prize. But, the joy in her smile soon vanished as Amunet kept talking even with her heart pierced. "If there is something that I hate more than men that think they can overcome me...", she said, walking one step closer to the woman. Now, the hole in her chest was visible; where it was supposed to be blood and meat was empty. In fact, Amunet just had oppened a hole in her own body to make a path to the woman's punch. "...Are women that think they are better than me." She ended her sentence. Her body melted, falling apart over the woman's arm; more precisely, it turned into dust, in a similar manner to the man that was just killed. Instead of being a pile of immovable dust, it moved as it was alive and, what appeared to be dust, was sand. This sand enveloped the woman, trapping her in place, leaving only her arms out, creating a cocoon-like prison. Before the woman could take action, this cocoon pressured her body, breaking her bones, and started to move like two snakes. They wrapped her body more and more, breaking her body even more, increasing in size until they took the form of a four-sided monument with a pyramid-like top. "Obelisk", Amunet said, although her actual body couldn't be seen anywhere, finally crushing the woman body to a point where her arms were just separated from the construct and fell into the ground. "Knew it..." the same man thought to himself, noticing a pattern throughout each of these bracket. "There is always at least one powerful logia user in every fight and it appear she is it." he yelled, announcing that they should focus their efforts on the sand. Those who did not have haki were all for it, seeing how they didn't think they had a chance without the support of those who did. But even those who possessed haki were not confident, as they saw someone who was probably better than most of them. Blinded by the sin of greed, they all chanted "No matter the cost." or something along those lines as they targeted the woman in the veil. A barrage of different attacks came her way. Amunet started to laugh; sterically laugh. Her laugh echoed through the arena, but her body couldn't be seen anywhere. She remembered of her past as the queen of Nefer, and it was the first time that she felt this way after a long journey of suffering and disgrace. She could only laugh because, as a queen, there was someone, or more than one, that dared to opposed her supreme position. "Fools!", she said. The obelisk construction deformed and turned into a pool of sand in the ground, carrying the bones of the woman that was trapped inside it and was killed in the process, spreading itself in the entire perimeter of the arena. "How dare you to oppose your queen?!", still in her delusional state, she could only feel the joy of being above everyone else for one more time. The pool of sand started to rotate, shrinking in size and concentrating all the warriors in an unique spot. They couldn't move; their legs were trapped in sand, and it was almost impossible to leave, as the more they struggled, more their legs were sunken in the sand. "Bow to your queen!", two enormous hands of sand were formed, holding all the warriors in place. From behind them, an even larger head made of sand emerged from the ground, looking like that of a Pharaoh. As soon as it emerged, it made an arch movement, much like that of a whale just leaving the water to sink back to it. The head went with full force, falling on top of the warriors. Their bodies were completely crushed. Before they could scream, their throats were invaded by sand, and once again the silence took the arena. Near the entrance of the arena, small portions of sand started to unite, until they took the form of Amunet's body. With her hand over her veil where it was supposed to be her mouth, she walked off the stage, giggling, as the sand left in arena vanished, leaving nothing left of the warriors that once stepped there. The crowd had mixed feelings towards the sight. After seeing the spectacle Marie committed not more than an hour ago, they were used to death; the smell of human flesh was still on their mind. But even after seeing men literately melted to nothing, they were still not used to the image of death. The crowd was silent, no words chants but no boos. They had no right to boo a woman who was simply playing by the rules. The King would break the deafening silence, by declaring the match's winner. "Would all participants of Bracket Six, fighters of the sixth bracket, please report to the stage." On cue Spike entered the arena along with his fellow competitors. "I heard he would be here, but I wasn't sure," said one of the other competitors. "I think teaming up to take him out first seems like a fine strategy," said another. Within a few seconds Spike was completely surrounded. Spike let out a disappointed sigh. He unsheathed his sword, startling the rest of the competitors, but all he did was stab it into the ground. "There's no need to dirty my Goemon with the blood of cowards," Spike said as he got into a fighting stance. As soon as the signal to begin was given Spike closed his eyes. Immediately all the other competitors began to rush him. Once the enemies had gotten closer Spike thrust his fist toward the ground, creating a which knocked many of the weaker competitors back and out of the match. "Now that the riff-raff is out of the way, which of you are an actual challenge?" asked Spike in a cocky tone after returning to his original stance. The next challengers were three armed warriors, two with axes and one with a sword. Spike closed his eyes once more as they rushed him. As the two axe-wielders swung from opposite directions towards Spike, he ducked down under and hit one of them with his elbow, knocking him clean out. The remaining axeman came around for a second attack now accompanied by the swordsman, who Spike could tell was no amateur. As the swordsman came in for a quick downward slice onto Spike, Spike caught the blade between his fingers on his left hand. The other axe-wielder came to attack him from the other side, but Spike countered by throwing the swordsman's blade at the axe. As the two weapons ricocheted and the two wielders were stunned, Spike thrust both arms towards each of the enemies. Afterwards they were knocked out of the competition. Not even being able to catch a breath, Spike sensed something from behind. He turned around to see a sumo-fighter twice his size about to slam him with his fists. Spike dodged, and jumped up to his chest. Spike then hit the man with a very strong thrust right in the chest. But the man didn't budge. The man then swat Spike out of the air with his open palm. "Foolish assassin. Your weak punches can't stand up to the impact nullification of my Null-Null Fruit," said the sumo-fighter to Spike, though he had been lost from sight and some steam had began to appear around the sumo-fighter. The now growing amount of steam caused the sumo-fighter to begin coughing, sapping his strength. Spike's torso reappeared, floating above the sumo-fighter. "To think some useless gimmick could out-do my Jouki-Jouki no Mi," Spike put his hand out over the coughing sumo and muttered: " ..." as a water bubble formed around the sumo-fighter negating his powers and rendering him helpless. "Scald!" yelled Spike as the hot steam merged with the water bubble, effectively scalding the man inside. After the technique the man was released, but his skin was now very shriveled up and he passed out from heat exhaustion. One last challenger approached Spike. A marksman who yelled: "Damned logia! Try my sea stone bullets on for size!" He then shot some bullets from his rapid-fire rifle at Spike. Spike once again thrust his fist towards the bullets, muttering: "Fishman Karate..." A shockwave stopped the bullets and reflected them back at the marksman as well as some other nearby enemies, eliminating them. "Enough games, I tire of this." Spike said as he began to activate his Devil Fruit powers. Steam covered the entire arena. The spectators could see little, but they could hear the coughing and yelling of the combatants. When vision had returned, Spike was the last man standing. All the other competitors had been asphyxiated. Spike returned his blade to its position on his back and began to leave the arena. An extraordinary display of skill and power. The crowd bursted into cheers, "Spike Spike Spike!" they chanted as the swordsman left the stage. As the crew began to clean the stage, the King announced the final match. "Ladies and Gentlemen, let's get ready for the final match. Bracket Seven, would all combatants of bracket seven please report to the stage. This is the last match of the first round" "Look at this little blonde haired bitch here." A large muscular main said walking up behind Thane along with three other guys. The gates of the arena open and the contestants started to fill the arena awaiting to fight. Thane intended on doing the same until the deep voice of a man obviously called out to him. "Blonde haired bitch, Ha tough thing for a big dude like yourself to say. Must mean you're insecure about something targeting me out of the 45 more people here. Let me guess, small ship, small muscles compared to giants you obviously wanna be like, or wait....ha, maybe your package?" Thane placed both hands on his knees and exaggerated a laugh, the man and the men with him all had serious and annoyed looks on their faces. "Listen dude, save that talk for the fighting, though now that you got my attention I'll be sure to kick your ass last." With that Thane walked onto the arena along with the rest of the competitors. He analyzed each of his opponents. Several were swordsmen, a few ranged fighter and the rest were simply martial artist. Thane drew the attention of several eyes, he was the only competitor with yellow hair and that was usually always associated with a high status in society. There were whispers from the ground Thane could overhear saying, "Is he a noble." "Why is a man like that fighting here?" Thane smirked at the remarks made and simply awaited the signal to start. He was contemplating two things, he could either do something quick or flashy. The signal for the start was given and immediately 10 of the 49 competitors came after Thane. Using his superior speed, Thane leaped through a gap made by the surrounding competitors. He did a graceful front flip during his forward motion and planted the sole of his foot on the back of a different competitor and kicked off him causing the man to fall off the stage. As he darted back towards the 10 men who came after him, he placed both hands in his pockets not to reach for something but because he didn't need them. As he closed the distance he maneuvered himself so that his legs were forward and using that momentum he kicked a man so hard that it launched him across the entire platform taking out sever other competitors along the way. The moment he kick the man Thane did another flip that was done so that he'd land on his feet. Thane jumped and spun, smacking one man across the face with the side of his foot and extended his other leg out meeting the jaw of a man's face on his shin. Both the men were again kicked with enough force to send them flying off the platform. Thane recovered from his attacks and stood straight up in the same position awaiting someone else to attack. Next up was a swordsman who took no time and dashing towards Thane and drawing his sword when he was in close proximity of Thane aiming to use the quick draw of his sword to bisect Thane in two. Thane's reflexes were keen enough to see this and his jumped, bringing his legs inward towards his body so that he would clear the sword. The momentum of the man brought him right under Thane and gravity brought Thane down along with the addition of a forceful landing on the swordsman's head. The force the slamming of Thane's legs onto the man caused the ground in that area to crack and break. Another swordsman performed the same attack from behind Thane, slicing straight through him, or so he thought. The blade went straight through the body of Thane, light shining from one end to the next of the blade's path. Before the swordsman could look back to see what had happened, Thane swiftly swept his leg upward between the legs of the swordsman causing him to immediately fall in agony. "Sorry dude, I'm a logia like the bunch of other people this tournament. Alright well that was a little display of my skills without the devil fruit now to put on a show like the rest of brackets." Thane's body started to glow a bright yellow light that illuminated the the entire arena blinding anyone that looked. This light lasted for several second however in these seconds the grunts of men and the occasional loud bang of a person hitting the wall of the coliseum could be heard. When the light dimmed and the arena could be seen the two remaining people standing were Thane and the large muscular man from earlier. "You, you're a logia." The man said in a fear as Thane stood in the middle of the arena with his hands still in his pocket. "Yep, I'm a Light Human now. Anyway, blonde haired bitch eyy?" The man gritted his teeth in anger however he soon cracked a slight smirk. "You won't win, because I have the power of Haki!!" The man held his fist out and lo and behold, a black coating could be seen around his fist. Thane looked and on as the man coated his fist in Haki and for several seconds, his expression was blank until abruptly, "yoU wOn't wIn bEcaUsE i hAve tHe pOweR oF HakI." Thane said mockingly with the most idiotic facial expression a man could make. The crowd began to laugh a little which caused the man to attack. As the man closed in, Thane simply stood there and looked, when the man was 5 meters away, Thane whispered "Amanomihashira...." suddenly a pillar of light erupted from up under the man. The pillar could be seen from outside of the coliseum causing people to wonder what it was exactly, after a few seconds it disappeared and where the man once stood there was nothing. Thane was the last person standing, meaning he had won the bracket of his tournament. Thane began to walk away, towards the exit of the arena. "Blond Haired Bitch...." Thane though shaking his head. Union After the Blonde-Haired Pirate won his bracket, the Nation's emperor announced a hour break for the competitors to rest up. The group of winners were directed to same waiting room deep below the arena. Despite being underground, the room was as elegant as they come. Offering some of the finest meals the world had to offer along with beautiful aesthetic design, it was a room fit for royalty. As one of the king's servants directed the competitors down to the room, the man dashed away before any of them could ask any questions. Suddenly, a creature of mass proportions emerged from the shadows. "Welcome!" the giant exclaimed, raising his arms upwards in a joyous way. "The name is Frederick Barbarossa but you can call me Redbeard." he paused, making himself completely visible as he walked into the light. "As some of you may have already realized, the fact this many logia users are all in one place is no mere coincidence. Each of you was formally invited by your's truly due to your renowned reputation with your fruit. And as winners of your respective brackets, I will now reveal to you the purpose of the tournament." Before continuing with his announcement, Redbeard found the seat suitable for a creature of his mass. "As you may or may not know, I was once praised as the mightiest titan in the world. But after several..unfortunate events, my legacy was tainted and I now live the life of a criminal. But all is not lost, as I am determined to regain control of my country by assembling the world's most fearsome crew. As logias, we hold the world's greatest power, the power of nature. As unit, we can achieve almost anything. In other words, I am asking each and everyone one of you to join my crew!" Redbeard spat, grabbing the drink and chugging it down with relative ease. After several seconds, he finally ceased, shifting his attention to corner in which he emerged. "Did I miss anything Erin?" "Probably a comment about how they all look like ants to you or something. I told you that you should open with a joke or something." A voice shouted from the darkness as footsteps grew louder. In a moment a tall man emerged from the shadows, His back hair hung slightly over his navy blue eyes. As he emerged he flung his arms open and his stoic face became a bright smile. "Nice to meet you all, I'm Wynn Erin. I'm also the navigator of you ship if you chose to join the crew." He spoke as he placed his arms at his sides. "Oh wait you forgot something else Frederick, the incentive." Erin sighed as he ran a hand through his dark hair, letting it fall back to his face. "You see the main goal of this crew is to help this big guy here reclaim his kingdom. Be it wealth, fame, women, power, a waterfall of food, or a really well made chair. You can achieve it by coming with Redbeard here. Not to mention the fact that we're gonna be conquering the heavens themselves. If any of you have ever wanted to rule the heavens then here's you chance." Erin finished as he reclined against a wall. Kagetora hopped onto an empty seat and settled down, making himself feel at home. He would already be dining and wining while Redbeard and Erin was giving an explanation about the purpose of the tournament. Wealth, fame, women, power, food and a chair. It sparked an interest in the monkey mink, except women, and a phrase that stood out the most to him. "Rule the heavens, eh? Kek, sounds good! Alright, big man, I'll join your crew, as long as I get a big red chair, kekek." "Ya know this is awesome and all meeting a giant like you, this tournament with all those excuses for competition, and having a bunch of logia users here. But why the hell should we help you conquer the you former throne but last I read you allied with that one dude that killed that admiral to seek authority beyond the realms of Elbaf. That to me sounds like you a bit of a sell out. I barely know you or who you are as a person so I can't really say weather or not I would want to call you captain. And besides, I don't half the things that Erin dude just said. Pirates who want that in the end don't make it." Thane spoke what was on his mind to not only Redbeard but everyone in the room. Thane reached over to grab a chunk of meat and bread and indulged on the festivities. "Mmmm, But I will say, this food is the shit. If someone wanted to join cuz of food they'd be your loyalist follower. Man I might need to take back what I just said, (chomp) this food is fantastic." Thane said sarcastically with his mouth full. Sitting on a chair separated from the grand feast, Spike was cleaning his enormous blade with a cloth. Though he seemed detached from the announcement, he had listened and was quite deep in thought. "It's not like I have a goal or anything big like that. Money is nice, but that's not why I fight." thought Spike. As a wanderer who was always looking for a fight Spike liked the idea deep down. "I'll join you big guy. I've always avoided being a pirate, but running wild is all I'm actually good at," said Spike. Though his external reason was quite superficial, deep down Spike resonated with the giant's story of exile. Truth is Spike did know about the ordeal in Elbaf through his Underworld information channels. As one who had also been treated as trash by those in and been forced to leave, he wanted to help this giant avoid such a fate. Also in the back of his head, Spike was thinking being so close to such a strong combatant would earn him a match against the titan. Dominic stared at the giant. He was quite tall. Taller than Dominic's true height. Dominic didn't have any other plans. And Redbeard had an interesting proposal. Dominic smiled, nodding. "I'm in." Three for for at the moment; better odds than what Redbeard was anticipating. As the other combatants took more time to think over his proposition Redbeard focused his attention to the blonde boy who spoke so poorly of him. "You can actually read?" he snickered, noticing the boy's young and playful side. "To be honest, the fact that any of you read the newspaper and consider it a credible source is truly disappointing. Take all of our bounties for example; would you say you are worth 80,000,000." he continued, not letting up his argument. "It seems with your age, you've forgotten what it means to be a pirate. Even I, a novice in the subject, know what it is. What one wishes to acquire is irrelevant, as it is their dream. Whether it be money, fame , or simply adventure, you should not judge those who aspire to accomplish their dreams, blondie." "Well if I couldn't read I wouldn't have been able to read that invitation you sent out now would I?" Thane eyed the giant, continuing on with his words. Thane reached over and grabbed an apple off a small table and took a bite. "Bounties are a symbol of the power of a person and their actions. I've only beaten a Marine captain, that's not anything so spectacular that I'm in need of a bounty of over 100,000,000 berries. The point I was making was that by just saying if we join you we'd get the things Erin there listed is something all captains say. I said it when I once had a goal of becoming Pirate King and my last captain said somewhat the same thing. I don't know about these guys but I personally don't like getting into something big like what you want without the full details." Thane tossed the apple up in down while taking bites out of it, awaiting the response of the man that brought him here. "If you've lived your life with everything being planned, I gotta say, that's quite the luxury. I cannot tell you the full details of our expedition because even I don't know them. I can tell you where I am and where I want to go, but the path between those two points is a mystery." he responded, but he was not done. "I cannot guarantee or promise much about the trials ahead, but I will tell you this. Even as your captain, your life would be just as important as my own, and trust me I don't plan on dying for another couple centuries, Gorororooro!" Amunet approached a beautiful golden-patterned cup to her lips, taking a sip of whatever liquid was inside it. After finishing, she rested it in the nearest table, just to address the giant man that was right in her front. "I don't really care what your intentions are as long as I can once again rise to my former position. If you are willing to help me, I'll help you, but be sure that I won't blindly follow the orders of a man that I barely know. Your "kind" was the reason of the disgraceful path that I had to choose and the reason of my downfall. If, by some chance I see you as a man worth of my respect, then yes, I'll be by your side for the rest of your life, independent on how much you live." She once again picked the cup from the table, continuing her speech. "Don't think I'm joining you because of who you are or what you have done in the past, it's just a matter of interest." Thane took another bite of the apple before tossing it into the garbage. He listened to the giant's words and took in what he said. "Well, I do have blonde hair for a reason. I'll join your crew, as long as I'm able to achieve my goal and you help me, I'll gladly serve by your side." Silent as usual, Ryū didn't make sound as he approached the table. "I suppose I will sign in !" His quick yes would shock most of them in the room. The Buttler serving his wine thought, "What is he signing for without thinking ? this is a matter of life and death. Does he not know about the man and his role in the infamous island that must never be named ?" In approach to the surprises, Ryū spoke up. "But in return I must know why you decided to invite us of all people? Us being all powerful Logia Devil Fruit Users is only a part of the reason, I presume. You being the man you are! I doubt you would pull such strings as picking people just by their strength." Slightly Glearing at Redbeard from atop her seat Marié couldn't help the slight snarl that escaped her lips, as she tends to her nails. "It appears you indeed have forgotten Me after all this time Darling." Spoke Marié in a quiet yet anger red tone. "To think I wasted time and resource tracking you down only to be once again tossed aside and only called upon when you need something" She Countinued now fully Glearing at him. Redbeard had obviously forgotten who the lady in red was; one of his many mistresses he presumed. Always the troublesome situation when he forgets those he's had sexual relations with. Confident that he and her would have a talk privately after the meeting, he focused on answering Ryū's question. "Very perceptive Ryū. But let's not try to take the fun out of the surprise. You'll all know why you were formally selected down the road." he snickered, before rising from his chair. "Alast, the Redbeard Pirates are born! Let us feasts to our heart's contents!" he announced, continuing with the party as work would begin the following day. Category:Redbeard Pirates Category:Role-Plays Category:Finished Role-Plays